Day 19

Day 19

  Well today was our last day.  We left our hotel heading for home.  Before leaving Ohio we stopped by the Hard Rock Casino, the "Rocksino".  We checked that out for a while then hit the road.  It took us all day and 556 miles but we made it home.  Tommorow is back to reality.  We had a great time on our trip but all great things must come to an end.  You can check out our trip at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we have found along the way.

Day 18

Day 18
  Today was mostly driving.  We made it back to eastern standard time, so we lost another hour.  We are staying the night in Amherst, Ohio after driving 598.9 miles today.  We did stop at a little store this morning in Wisconsin and got some cheese curds to bring home with us.  While going through Chicago we grabbed lunch at the Hard Rock.  While in Chicago we walked down to check out the bean monument.  After the bean and paid our insanely expensive parking (32.00), we grabbed some Starbucks and hit the road. we should be back home by tommorow. You can check out our trip at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we have found along the way.

Day 17

Day 17
  Today was tough to get out of bed because of the late night and the time shift.  Today was just a travel day we reached Wisconsin after driving through Minnesota.  We did stop at The Mall of America for a few hours, which isn't anywhere close to longer enough for that place.  We rode a roller coaster in the mall and looked around for a while.  We got back on the road to our final destination for the day Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Tommorow..... More driving.... Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 16

Day 16

  Today it was tough to get up because we got in so late last night.  When we finally got moving we headed for Mount Rushmore.  We tried to go around Sturgis because of all the bikers, but they were still everywhere.  I can't imagine what being in Sturgis is like if 60 miles away was like that.  We made it to Mount Rushmore and it was an amazing sight.  We looked around, snapped a few pictures, and checked out some of the shops. We then shuffled through the bikers and headed for the Badlands National park.  Before we reached the Badlands we stopped at Wall Drug where we grabbed some dinner and checked out some of the little stores they have.  It was a pretty neat little area to see.  By this time it was getting later in the day, but we still wanted to go the Badlands park.  It turned out to be an awesome time to go to the park when the sun is going down.  Sunset made for some beautiful dramatic scenes in the Badlands.  It was dark by the time we left the park so we headed to our hotel in Chamberlin, SD. Which was still about 2 hours away.  What I didn't realize was we jumped into another time zone so we lost a hour.  So tommorow should be interesting. Time for some shut eye.

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 15

Day 15 

  Today we set out for two parks that were close to each other. Grand Teton and Yellowstone National parks.  We first crossed into Wyoming and snapped a picture by the sign.  We got to the Grand Teton park and it was a beautiful day.  We rode through the the park and took in the amazing sites of the mountains.  After  we rode through the park we headed over to Yellowstone park.  One thing was certain Yellowstone is much bigger than any park we have been to.  We started driving through the park stopping at various scenic views and lakes.  We stopped and ate lunch on the shore of one lake, it was very peaceful.  We got to old faithful and just missed the eruption, so we had to wait for the next one which was 90 mins.  That's when the weather started to take a turn for the worst.  Grey clouds started rolling in and the Rangers said there were storm warnings.  We decided to wait a little longer and see if we could catch the eruption.  About 2 minutes before it was going to erupt the sky's opened up and it starting pouring.  I was already commited at this point so I stuck it out and got soaking we, but saw old faithful erupt.  After that we jumped back in the car and rode around for a bit to see if the rain was going to stop.  It eventually did and with what little daylight we had left we went to check out the waterfalls. The falls were cool to see and were probably full force with the rain.  It was interesting to see all of the steam coming from the ground too, probably emphasized from the dropping temperature.  This park is massive and can't be explored in one day.  We will have to come back one day and see the rest.  We headed out and started the journey to our hotel in the dark.  Mountain driving in the dark is an interesting test of nerves and patience.  We made it to our hotel in Billings, Montana at about 12:30, time for some sleep.

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day14

Day 14

  Today was a driving day.  We left our hotel a little later than we wanted to, but we still made ok time.  Our mileage was 580.6 and we stopped in Idaho Falls, ID. We went to an A&W for lunch which was pretty good.  And for dinner we ate at a place called Wingers which was pretty yummy.  Tommorow we head to Yellowstone and see how many more miles we can get. 

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 13

Day 13

 Today we took the ferry to Seattle, WA.  Seattle is a busy city.  When you walk downtown people are everywhere. There is such a diverse number of people and culture.  It's fascinating to see how everyone interacts with each other in all of the little shops.  It's the most interesting city we have been to. After walking around for a few hours and taking in the sights and sounds we headed out to start making the trek back east.  We only drove 295 miles today because we were int he city most of the day.  We stopped in Kennewick, WA for the night to get some rest. 

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day12

Day12

  Today we went to Crater lake. They beauty of the lake was masked by the smoke from the surrounding wildfires, but still was an amazing sight. The water was super blue and it was interesting to learn about how it was formed from a volcano.  After the lake we hit the road heading for Washington state.  We had to get some gas before leaving the state, interesting fact Oregon you can not pump your own gas.  I never know if your supposed to tip those guys, it's not like I have a choice for them to pump my gas.  We reached our final destination for the day which is Little Creek Casino Resort. We had dinner here and played a few slots and then called it a night.  

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day11

Day 11

   Goodbye California....
Today we started or day going to Whiskey town National recreation area. We looked around for a bit and got a stamp for our book. We then headed to Redwood National park. We stop right after the entrance to make some lunch and take in the view.  Redwood park has some amazing views.  It goes from awesome cliff side beaches to mossy giant redwood tree forests.  We saw some elk just hanging out in a field eating, so we stopped for some pictures.  We continued driving through the park and found a tree that had a huge hole in it, so naturally we stood in it and grabbed a picture.  When we finished the park we drove on and shortly crossed into Oregon.  You cant help noticing smoke everywhere from surrounding wildfires.  We decided to get some dinner at a place called Wild River Pizza, it was pretty tasty.  We called it a night at an EconoLodge in Medford, Oregon.

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 10

Day 10

  Today we went to San Francisco.  The weather was awesome, it was in the 60's and overcast.  When we got into the city we found parking and walked downtown.  When we got to Hyde St. Pier we looked at the old boats docked there.  There were also seals in the Marina which was cool to see and hear.  We walked over to the Maritime National Historic park pier where you can see Alcatraz and Golden Gate bridge.  We then walked over to the Ghirardelli Square to grab some lunch at Lori's Diner.  For dessert we got a brownie Sundae from the Ghirardelli shop.  We then headed back to the car, where we realized parking is crazy expensive 28.00 expensive.  When we left to parking garage we drove towards the Golden Gate bridge because we just had to drive across it.  We stopped our day in Red Bluff, CA. Tomorrow we will head to The Redwood National Park.


Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 9

Day 9

   Today we went to Yosemite National Park.  We set out this morning driving through more twisty and winding roads hanging over the side of a mountain to get to the park.  When we got to the park we got a map and realized the park is huge.  We drove through the park and the views are amazing.  We decided to get to the hotel early today to try to get some laundry done and relax in the pool for a little while. Then get some rest and get ready for tomorrow.

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.

Day 8

Day 8

  We set out to day to explore Sequoia National Park.  After a quick gas stop and Walmart again to get a few things, we headed to the park.  The park was awesome.  Basically you take a 30+ mile scenic, twisty, palm sweating drive up the side of a mountain.  It was the kinda road you see on a rally race, except top speed is 30mph.  Crazy as the drive was it was absolutely amazing scenery.  The trees are massive! The park took most of the day so The daily miles were only 235.7, and we got to our hotel fairly early. We figured we could do our laundry with our extra time, WRONG! The hotel said it had a washer and dryer, but the actually don't. Well there goes that plan. Guess we will have to do laundry another day. Guess we will call it a night and see what tomorrow brings.

Remember you can follow our journey at --> Dustin and Jessicas Excellent Adventure Where you can see a map of our Journey and other pictures of interesting things we find along the way.